Chapter 4
From Prompt to Partnership
Once you’ve identified where AI might help, the next step is giving it enough context and direction to produce something useful.
A thoughtful prompt doesn’t need to be complicated. It simply gives AI the information it needs to understand the task, while keeping your judgment in the process.
01 · Context
What does AI need to know?
What is happening, who is involved, and what background matters?
02 · Task
What are you asking it to do?
Be clear about the outcome you want.
03 · Criteria
What should good look like?
Consider audience, tone, format, level of detail, or other expectations.
04 · Constraints
Set boundaries around assumptions, sensitive information, missing details, or other limitations.
What should it avoid or account for?
05 · Your Review
What still needs your judgment?
What will you verify, refine, or decide before using the output?
Let’s Practice
Build a Better Prompt
Your prompt
I’m preparing a short employee announcement about a new expense approval process. The audience is all U.S. employees. Write an email about the new process. Draft a clear email explaining what is changing, when it takes effect, and the two actions employees need to take. Keep it under 200 words. Use plain language and a professional but approachable tone. Do not invent policy details. Flag anything that requires clarification.
Notice what changed.
The request now gives AI more information about the situation, the outcome, what good looks like, and the boundaries it should work within.
05 · Your Review
A stronger prompt can improve the starting point. Before using the response, what would you still need to review?
A stronger prompt gives you a better starting point. Your judgment determines whether the output is ready to use.